Rings and Ribbons
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: Prize for Sirenitie. A Valentine's Day Holix/Noex fic. The couples are already established. Lots of fluff. Summary inside.


**Do you know what I hate? Viruses. I'm serious, the day after I posted Slipping Through My Fingers, I got a virus! Don't you just loooove technology? *sarcasm* Anyway, this is a prize for Sirenitie who won my Sugar Rush contest with her AWESOME Noex fic, Today. She requested a combined Holix/Noex fic that involves Holiday finding out about Rex and Noah's relationship. I suppose you could call this a sequel to Today. Okay, I'm going to be making this a Valentine's Day fic because I want to. I don't know how this will go, I'm just gonna type. Hope you like it! ^_^ (NOTE: In this story, Holix and Noex are already established.)**

Rex stared at the amazingly bland décor of the office. True, he was not one to _want_ to see an overdose in pink. Heck, the very thought of Holiday covering the place with hearts and fluff made him more than a little uncomfortable. Still, some acknowledgment of what day it was would have been nice. 'Ah well…' He fingered the box in his pocket and smiled to himself. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too much to do today…

"Hey, Rex."

Rex spun around, startled by the sound of Holiday's voice. "Hey, Holiday." He replied, grinning easily. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Happy Valentine's Day." Holiday walked over and gave her ward a quick hug. "You seem distracted today."

"Ah…it's nothing." Rex waved his hand dismissively.

Holiday smirked knowingly. "Thinking about someone special?"

"Eh… Hi Six!" He chirped as the green-clad ninja entered the office at just the right time.

Six raised an eyebrow at Rex's loud, obviously exaggerated greeting but didn't comment on it. 'He must have already started on the chocolate and sugar…' "Hello, Rex."

No one was surprised when Six didn't mention the day.

"Weeeell...I'd better be going. I got places to do, stuff to go. Cell my call if you need anything!" Before either Six or Holiday could say a word, Rex was out the door.

"I wonder..." Holiday put a finger to her lips, frowning in confusion.

"What?"

"I wonder who he's meeting."

"How do you know he's meeting somebody? For all we know, he's just going over to Noah's house to play video games."

Holiday rolled her eyes. "Please, Six. He wouldn't be so secretive and shy about something like that." A flash of concern crossed her face. "Do you think it's Circe?" If Rex was meeting Circe, there would be a whole lot of trouble in the not so distant future...

"I suppose it's a possibility." Six shrugged a shoulder. He caught the look on Holiday's face. He knew that expression all too well. "I assume you're going to go and find out for yourself."

"It shouldn't take too long." Holiday smiled as she heard the slightest sprinkle of irritation in Six's voice. "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." She walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek. The brief contact caused a comforting warmth to bloom in her chest.

In the back of her mind, she wished that that contact could last longer. A relationship such as what she had with Six is one that requires constant close proximity combined with very limited moments when affection can be shown. It consisted of quick kisses, smiles, and brushes of the hand. It was maddening!

Maybe...before she left...she could just... She began to guide Six's lips toward hers. Her eyes drifted shut. Her hand traveled down the side of Six's neck...

Footsteps were echoing through the hallway.

Reluctantly, Holiday pulled back. Was Six's face slightly flushed? The thought was enough to lighten her spirits as she exited the office.

…...

"Oh man! That dude is gonna get it!" Noah laughed, pointing toward the man across the street that he and Rex had been observing. The poor soul had been giving a girl a red rose and saying something to her...when _another_ girl who was _also_ carrying a rose started talking to him in a very angry fashion. She seemed to be every bit as familiar with this guy as the first girl was.

"Twenty bucks says this will be a cat fight!" Rex chuckled.

"No way. They're gonna gang up on that jerk!" Noah leaned forward eagerly, popping a Godiva raspberry truffle into his mouth.

Rex flashed a triumphant grin as two roses fell to the ground and two pairs of metaphorical claws were unsheathed. "Aaaand he's running for it. Smart man." He turned to Noah and held out a hand. "I take cash or check."

"Hey! I never agreed to that bet!" Noah elbowed Rex in the ribs.

"Yeah, okay." Rex conceded, standing up. "Well, we've been making fun of people for nearly an hour now. Wanna head back to your place?" He checked his watch. It was a little after noon...and Noah's parents were out until nine... There would be plenty of time to give that special present. 'Probably after dark or during sunset. More romantic setting...I think...'

"Sure. We can break out the new game Mom got me. I think it's called Okami..." He blushed as Rex touched his lips to his forehead.

Rex brushed his fingertips briefly across Noah's bangs before stepping back and smiling as if he had done nothing. "Sounds good!"

…...

Holiday sighed to herself as she stared into yet another candy store window. She had quickly given up on following Rex when she realized that he _was_ in fact hanging out with Noah. No matter. It was more of a relief than anything... Still, she hated admitting that Six was actually right in a romance-related situation.

'Well, more time to look for Six's present...' She rationalized.

True, it was traditional for the male half of the relationship to be pulling his hair out looking for a last-minute Valentine's Day gift. Holiday's problem wasn't that she forgot; she simply couldn't find anything good to give her favorite green ninja.

Truth be told, Valentine's Day is a total bear for girls who actually want to _do_ something for their men. Ninety-nine percent of all gifts are geared toward women. Most people just assumed that the girl was supposed to sit there and smile while her boyfriend spoiled her.

Holiday thought those assumptions were completely idiotic.

Nonetheless, no one could deny that the doctor was in a tough spot. After passing yet another window filled with plush toys, flowers, and candy, she was beginning to lose hope. Then, a stationary store caught her eye.

'Maybe I can make him a card or something…' She totally hated herself for resorting to the generic card idea, but she was running out of options. She looked through the different patterns of paper dejectedly, not seeing anything that was both elegant and Six-friendly. 'Maybe I should go home and attempt to bake something…'

As she was exiting the shop, she saw a flash of red and stopped dead in her tracks, an idea coming to mind. She fingered the soft, smooth fabric of this new item and smiled to herself. What she was thinking was probably the sappiest, corniest, stupidest idea ever.

She bought the red object right away.

What she saw upon leaving the shop made her stop dead in her tracks: Rex was just where she had left him...and he was planting a soft kiss on Noah's forehead. She stared blankly for a moment as the boys walked away. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips. 'I never would have thought...' She shook her head slowly. Truth be told, she couldn't bring herself to feel overly surprised. 'It's odd...but this makes perfect sense!'

…...

They had been playing Okami for five hours straight before finally deciding to call it quits. ("You're _totally_ quitting because I'm kicking your butt!" "Rex, it's a single player game!" "So that's your excuse, eh?") Now, they were lying back on the bed, neither one speaking. It was a comfortable silence between two people who didn't feel the constant need to converse nagging at their minds. It was the type of silence where nothing needed to be said.

Rex turned over so he was facing Noah. Covering his hands was a pair of new, black leather, fingerless gloves that Noah had given him as a Valentine's Day present. Lightly, gently, he brushed his fingertips across his friend's cheek. He smiled as that simple action caused the blonde's skin to flush. Eventually, Noah broke the silence.

"The sun's going down. Now, where's my present?" Noah asked, sitting up and grinning lightheartedly at Rex.

Rex let out a sniff. "What a way to ask. I have half a mind to just leave right now!" He said in a mock affronted tone.

"Hey, if you leave, I'm so gonna follow. I'll bet anything that Holiday and Six are kissing in the office. I'd _die_ to see that!"

"If those video cameras Bobo set up are functional, you won't need to!" Rex grinned evilly.

"Speaking of Bobo, what does he do on Valentine's Day?"

Rex stared up at Noah seriously. "Do you really want to know that?"

Noah paused for a moment. "I..." He shook his head. "No...no, I don't."

"Good! Me neither!"

"Now, stop changing the subject! You said you'd tell me what it is when the sun goes down!"

"Hey, you're the one changing the subject." Rex sat up and ruffled Noah's hair. "I'm not the one who's fantasizing about Holiday and Six!"

Noah laughed and gave Rex a playful shove. "Okay, point taken."

Rex smiled though his eyes were becoming more calm and serious. "Close your eyes."

Noah felt his earlier goofiness fade away as he allowed his stormy eyes to drift shut. He felt Rex take his hand. His skin heated up as those warm, chapped lips brushed his wrist. He heard a box being opened and felt a cool circle move down his ring finger. There was another touch of warm lips, this time over the cool object.

"You can open them now." Rex's voice was smooth and sweet, like honey.

Noah couldn't suppress a gasp when he opened his eyes and saw a gold ring on his finger. It was a simple circle of gold at first glance. As he looked closer, he could see words engraved on it.

"_Te amo, __mi ángel."_

"Rex...I..." Noah swallowed the lump in his throat. "Thank you..."

Rex leaned forward, still holding the ring hand, and touched his lips to Noah's. "You're very important to me, Noah..." He murmured. "I feel happy whenever I'm with you. I think about you all the time. And...well...I don't want that to go away. Ever..."

"Dude, are you proposing or something?"

Rex rolled his eyes. "Yes, Noah. Two underage guys _totally_ have a shot at getting a priest to tie the knot." He pulled Noah into a hug. "Think of it more as...a promise ring. When we're older...when this Evo war is over...maybe..." His voice trailed off.

Noah felt his heart skip at least seven beats in his chest. 'I can't believe it...he really...' Noah knew that Rex loved him, but never would have imagined something like this... A single tear leaked from his eye and the softest of smiles came to his face. "I wouldn't have it any other way..." He murmured, nuzzling his face into the fabric of Rex's shirt, listening to his best friend's heart pounding soothingly. "I love you."

"I love you too..." Rex rested his head on top of Noah's and closed his eyes, allowing that blissful silence to wrap around them once more...like a blanket around cold shoulders...

…...

"Are we almost there, Six?" Holiday asked, looking around. The Providence building was nothing more than a speck in the distance. The desert stretched out on all sides. The air was cool and there was a crescent moon in the sky along with millions of stars. That was one of the things Holiday loved most about the location of the Providence building. She could always see the stars.

"Almost." Six had his arm wrapped loosely around Holiday's shoulders. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. The pale light from the moon and stars reflected off of her skin and it took every ounce of self control Six possessed not to kiss her then and there. 'Just wait...a few more steps and you'll be there.' He told himself.

There was a large blanket spread out on the sand. There weren't any candles, food, or anything. Just a simple blanket. Holiday sat down next to Six and snuggled up against him, breathing an inner sigh of relief: Six clearly had gone for the metaphorical, sentimental approach for Valentine's Day as well, so her gift didn't seem quite so lame anymore...

Six was unfolding a large piece of paper. It looked a little bit like a map... Except there weren't any landscapes on it. It was covered with constellations. "What's that, Six?" Holiday asked, trying to look at the paper.

"One second..." Six ran his finger over the star map, eventually bringing it to rest on a specific star. "See that?"

"Yes..." Holiday looked at the star on the map before looking toward the sky. It was a little to the right of the Orion constellation. It was smaller than some of the other stars, but it had a certain brightness to it. "Which star is that?"

"Its name is Sandra Holiday." Six unrolled a second piece of paper and handed it to Holiday.

Holiday stared at it. It was a certificate...stating that... "Six..." She whispered, turning to gaze at him. "You...got me a star..." She wrapped her arms tightly around him and kissed his neck. "Thank you..."

Six happily returned the embrace, feeling a warm sensation where Holiday's lips touched his neck. He didn't say anything. He didn't want or need to.

Holiday laughed quietly. "It makes my gift feel pretty cliché..."

Six moved back. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Holiday's face turned bright red. 'I feel like a school girl...Jeez...' "I wasn't sure what to get you for Valentine's Day...so..." She pulled down her left sleeve, revealing a bright red bow tied around her wrist. "So I thought...that...well..."

Six silenced her stammering by taking her by the hand and pulling her close once more. His lips softly met hers, capturing them in a gentle kiss. He placed a hand on her back and began to slowly move it up and down. He felt her tremble and heard her whine quietly. His heart melted completely as he pulled back to look into those bright jade eyes. "I couldn't have asked for a better gift..."

**I'll just go sit over there in the sap corner... *sits down* I just mashed together every sappy, corny, nauseating cliché I could think of! I had a promise ring. I had a star. I had a person metaphorically giving herself as a gift. I had Rex call Noah his angel. I was debating whether or not to have Six say THAT mushy line at the end...and DID! *pant* This took like...over a week to finish. I hope you like it, Sirenitie! Congrats again on winning the contest! Hope the fluff overdose didn't kill you! ^_^ Please don't flame me...I worked really hard on this... Peace out!**


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